Back in the radical 80s when I was a mere slip of a six foot three sprout and running around in the world - some things opened my eyes up WIDE OPEN and will never be forgotten.

Kruzberg, Berlin before the wall came down - everyone dressed up like it was a costume ball or something, thats my kinda "lets pretend" way of dressing; plus everything is squatted. LIke everything! cafes, movie houses, bars, homes

San franscisco - mud people climbing down the side walk; tree's cafe: free vegetarian food on white table clothes; scamming everything; warehouse dwelling; punks and goths and anarchists who speak english, going down to santa cruz and the red woods

the lower east side, NYC - squatts everywhere! finding friends and hanging out in Tompkins Square Park, girl with pink dreads warshing her hair in the fire hydrant, an old hippy cooking for the neighborhood in a teepee on a lot of pure rubble, purple footsteps leading to adams purple garden; ABC NO Rio - going to see girl with pink dreads bands

later living in baltimore, much later, we would drive up to go see shows there: like Born Against, Chris(tine) would be hanging out - of slug and lettuce- I give her a copy of my zine and hang outside, talk to amy of Naseau about her punk-ling bred girl child having the same apalling tendencies (as mine) towards pink dresses and scamming candy!

much much later: WHAT happened to the Lower East Side? I stayed at Vikki's place in serenity house twice before I figured out I think this was the same squat I stayed in "once uponce a time" with the girl with the pink dreads

everything is gentrified and hard to even make out. no left over desolate fields of rubble, teepee soup serving hippies, not as much gardens - its expensive and trendy and lots of people are pushed out.

BUT ABC NO RIO is still there. Bigger then I remember. There is a dark room where people can develop photographs; and a zine library; lots of art shows; and music for everyone! from punk to experimental - this building has housed a diy scene coming together since it was squatted in the late 70s for an art show. The ancient old tennament building has art layered all over it, folks hanging out: doing books through bars, and planning stuff like haunted house for the neighborhood kids. CRUSTY old ABC NO RIO is still there, crustier than ever.

makes me feel happy, cuz i'm living in the not as rad 00s, and its good to see the heart and spirit of a way of life that gave me hope - resistance to the machine etc. ...it continues!

I never pay attention to how the magic happens; all the volunteers hard work; but somehow in this age when squats fall away and gentrification blossoms to brand new distopia take-overs....apparently all this time, there was people fighting for this building.

like how serenity house, became a co op and they got it from the city - ABC NO RIO - also , after all this time - well, they had a long fight, and I think, it was two years ago.

THEY WON. Bought the building from the city for one dollar. so this autonomous spot still continues.

BUT guess what? Its a different world today. Yep it is. Have you noticed? We are all getting older. HOW will this crusty crusty old tennament building build and kept together all this time with spit and gum and safety pins and elbow grease and hammers and nails and stinky squaters and avant guarde artists and kids with 40s and activist photographers ruled by the cat called cookie pus .... How will it continue into this new world?

apparently its cheaper to rip down the building adn build it back up. WE are talking GOING GREEN people. Arcutect utopia. We are talking plants and plans: no more stinky - but yes FREE SPACE and art for everyone - in the middle of the beast where everything - everything is SO expensive, in this city, that people kill for real estate, where there is no space, where so many have been kicked out, where the whole place has changed alot but dissidents remain and people remain and ABC NO RIO blooms to rise again with rebuild structure - Bold Plans ....into the future.

now is the time to work, work, not against anyone, the fight is not against, but what can THEY achieve now? the hardworkers, can they build, substain this dream ...that continues into an era when alot of the other stuff hasn't and 30 years is like ancient in this climate of dissadents creations.

WELL, YEP, they are doing it! But they need HELP! Its a last call for fundraising - in december they got codes to get up to code to keep the vission happening - and all the money is not raised. So now is the time, right NOW, they really need your donations.

If you don't know what abc no rio is - hay, check it out! www.abcnorio.org

look around this site, check out the fundraiser happening next week. Theres a link to it on the side.

Vikki said they just got a beautiful piece of art donated by Yoko Uno !!!
And I remember her story a few years ago about seeing Bjork at their fundraiser. This is the big Art Ball, now, go hang out with crusty punks and super stars, if you can - get yourself to their fundraiser! Its a good cause.

I know there is a lot of things to fund right now, but here we have the last hour on raising money and its much needed (and less people are donating with the economci climate right now), so think about giving them a donation. (I am going to see if I can find locals to do a fundraiser for them with)

LOng Live ABC NO RIO!